The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s second episode ended with the not-so-shocking return of Jadis. I cannot think of a single (sane) fan of this universe who likes her in any kind of way. She was drinking the Civic Republic Kool-Aid long before we knew anything about this community and the CRM, its deadly military. Jadis is the reason why Rick is stuck in Philadelphia and cannot return home to his family. While Major General Beale is certainly not a good guy as the leader of the CRM, Jadis is actually the villain in The Ones Who Live.
We get a flashback to when Rick was still a consignee. While on leave in the city one day, Jadis calls out to him. He’s fuming at the sight of her face while she’s happily eating fries in a Civic Republic courtyard. She gives a quick recap to Rick about how she designated him a B and therefore saved his life, but he doesn’t care. He’s rightfully upset that she took him to a place where he cannot leave. At this point, Jadis is new to the CRM and wholeheartedly believes in “secrecy and security above all.”
In present times, she pops up on Rick in his quarters and tells him that she knows about Michonne being there. A tearful Rick begs her to just let them leave. However, Jadis says their knowledge of this place and its protocols makes that impossible. She tells Rick that if he kills her, CRM soldiers will find a file among her things telling them everything about Rick, Michonne, and Alexandria. If Rick tries to leave without killing her, Jadis is willing to go to Virginia and kill everyone he knows. Why is Jadis being such a villain and pain in the ass? The answer is 1) she believes in the CRM code and 2) she always wanted Rick romantically.
Who can forget Jadis’ stomach-churning sexual harassment of Rick in The Walking Dead? Or how she betrayed Rick to side with Negan, a move that nearly got Michonne killed in season 7? Even still, they let her into their group and tried to embrace her versus killing her in cold blood. She did help keep Rick alive but Jadis is actively contributing to taking his life away. He lost years with his family while experiencing extreme emotional and mental duress.
Jadis could help Rick and Michonne escape and go back home. The two of them aren’t a threat to the Civic Republic in any way. They just want to be happy and live their lives in peace. Jadis is heavily indoctrinated but she also knows Rick very well… and harbors jealousy over his relationship with Michonne. Jadis even invited Rick to her room, to which he recoils in disgust. (Rick also tells her about her stupid haircut in this episode. I love it.)
She knows that Michonne will ignite a new resolve in Rick to escape and she enjoys wielding power over him too much to let that happen. Her threats cause Rick to blow up at Michonne and tell her that he’s forcing her to go home. At the end of the episode, Michonne grabs Rick and tosses them both out of a freaking helicopter in a storm. It is a chaotic move but they have to take this chance, right?
How Will Jadis and the CRM React to Rick and Michonne’s Disappearance in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live?
Of course, a few people will be suspicious. One of them is Rick’s CRM pal Pearl Thorne. At best, Pearl is a painfully annoying thorn (ha) in Rick’s side with her devotion to the CRM. She doesn’t trust Michonne—and rightfully so, from her perspective—but she does view Rick as her family. Pearl will certainly want to look into their mysterious disappearance but she’s not necessarily a villain at this point. Major Beale, who wants Rick to move up the ranks, keeps a close and suspicious eye on Rick. He may or may not truly believe that Rick and this random consignee is dead. But Beale and Pearl don’t know the full truth about his past nor his family.
Jadis is the real villain who can hurt him the most. She knows far too much and her blabbering about it can threaten Alexandria, Hilltop, and possibly the Commonwealth at large. Richonne better find a way to get that information from Jadis and kill her before she convinces a CRM reclamation team to take out their beloved home.